Harold Franklin "Hawkshaw" Hawkins - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

Harold “Hawkshaw” Hawkins was a country music star from the late 1940’s until his death in 1963. He starred on the three major radio barn dances, and was the top headliner at the WWVA Jamboree in Wheeling, West Virginia, having joined the cast there in 1946. The time that he spent touring and at the WWVA Jamboree, lead him to Nashville and to the Stage of the Grand Ole Opry, joining the Opry cast in 1955. Hawkshaw Hawkins is best known for such hits at “Slow Poke,” “I love you a thousand ways,” and “Lonesome 7-7203.”

Hawkshaw Hawkins died in a plane crash just west of Camden, TN on March 5, 1963. The crash also took the lives of, Lloyd “Cowboy” Copas, Ramsey “Randy” Hughes, and Patsy Cline. Hawkshaw Hawkins, Cowboy Copas and Randy Hughes all rest in “Music Row” at the Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens in Goodlettsville, Tennessee.

Description: Harold Franklin Hawkins was born on December 22, 1923 in Huntington, West Virginia. His first foray into performing came at the age of 15, when he won a talent contest at a local radio station, WSAZ. Following his win, he began working at the station, eventually moving to WCHS in Charleston by the end of the '30s; at WCHS, he frequently sang with Clarence "Sherlock" Jack. During 1941, he traveled the United States with a revue. The following year, he joined the military, where he was stationed in the Philippines; in Manila, he sang on the local army radio. He starred on radio, becoming a regular on WWVA's Wheeling Jamboree by 1946 and making his first records for the King label around that time. By 1953 he signed with RCA Victor and became a regular member of the Grand Ole Opry by 1955. Described as "the man with 11-and-a-half yards of personality," Over the years, he had several Top Ten singles including "Dog House Boogie" (1948), "I Love You a Thousand Ways" (1951), "I'm Waiting Just for You" (1951), and "Slow Poke" (1951). In 1960 he married fellow country singer Jean Shepard, and they made their home on a farm outside of Nashville, where he bred horses. Hawkshaw re-signed with King Records in 1963, releasing what was perhaps his biggest hit, "Lonesome 7-7203." On March 4, 1963, Hawkshaw participated in a benefit concert in Kansas City along with Lloyd “Cowboy” Copas and Patsy Cline. Following the concert the three along with Cline’s business manager and pilot Ramsey Hughes board a Piper Comanche airplane for the trip back to Nashville. At about 6:20 a.m. the plane crashed in wooded area west of Camden, Tennessee, killing all on board. Ironically, fellow country music star Jack Anglin was killed in an auto accident on the way to Patsy Cline's funeral. Jack Anglin, Ramsey (Randy) Hughes, Cowboy Copas, and Hawkshaw are all buried in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. Date of birth: 12/22/1923 Date of death: 03/05/1963 Area of notoriety: Entertainment Marker Type: Horizontal Marker Setting: Outdoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: 8:00 a.m. to Dusk Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link]

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Date Logged Log   10/24/2015 cydav visited it